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INPUTS:  Mea Fertilisers has announced that it will commission its Sh3 billion fertiliser manufacturing plant, Fertiplant East Africa, in December. 

The farming inputs supplier said the Nakuru-based NPK compound granulation plant will produce fertilisers in readiness for the 2021 long rain season.

Once it begins operations, the plant is expected to produce 100 tonnes of fertiliser, 50 per cent of Kenya’s annual NPK consumption capacity and enough for two million farmers, it said in a statement yesterday.

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya who toured the plant, pledged government support for the project, terming it a timely move.

He said successful agriculture in Kenya will need new thinking informed by embracing science and technology as envisioned by Fertiplant. 

Remove guesswork

“We have to remove guesswork from farming by encouraging soil testing and the production and application of fertilizers that have been informed by the test results” Munya added.

Plans by Mea to construct a multi-million shilling fertiliser plant in Nakuru, was first announced in September in 2013.

The company stated that the plant will supply NPK fertiliser to help farmers increase the rate of fertiliser production.

“We expect the plant to be up and running by the end of 2014,” it said.

It is expected that the cost of the product will be sold at 20 per cent lower than standard prices in Kenya due to cheaper raw materials being imported from abroad, Mea revealed.

During the tour, Munya said bridging the knowledge gap represented a potential gain for the entire agricultural value chain, saying it could double the harvest for small-scale farmers. 

Boost productivity

The sentiments by the CS were echoed by Immaculate Maina the Nakuru County CEC in charge of Agriculture, who said the investment will allow farmers to raise the fertility of their soils and boost productivity nationally.

Mea Fertilizers Managing Director, Eustace Muriuki said the plant seeks to remove guesswork in farming and offer a solution based on knowledge.

The project is funded by private equity funders, Oikocredit and NCBA bank.

Once operational, the plant will produce fertilizers for coffee, tea, maize, sugarcane, horticulture, flowers and potatoes for the greater East African Market. 

Greenhouse owners will also benefit from having crop-specific fertilizer available for their use all year round.